Exiles of Mossflower: The Open Door
by Doc Flareon
Summary: Major Shukko, a wolverine from a distant land, and five hundred of her countrybeasts are forever marooned in the land of Mossflower. Trapped in a strange land, Shukko must build her destiny anew. Exiles has been rated for violence and suggestive content
1. Prologue

Prologue 

**In the third year of our eternal exile from the Musteline Republic, during the month of the Otter, Lady Shukko, long may her line thrive, led her army to one of the key victories in her first campaign. The navies of Terramort were utterly crushed, paving the way for the foundation of our new home on the ruins of the House of Tratton. The priestesses declared that the fourth year of our exile would become the First Year of Shukko.**

Lady Shukko's first and last edict as daimyou of Terramort was that the city and ships of the searats be put to the torch. A new city, a city sacred to Itazou, was commanded to be built over the ashes of the old. Forty years of hard work later, Shukko's new city and castle were complete. Kokeshuto, the city that Shukko built, was the new, true home for nearly three thousand of Itazou's Children. Seicho Castle, and the tower upon which it was built, dominated the city. While the castle was built for Lady Shukko, the wolverine never lived within its walls. Indeed, she only ever entered the complex a single time after its completion, to abdicate in favour of her eldest daughter, Mayume.

Shukko chose to live out her years anonymously, refusing any and all requests for interviews or invitations to social functions. Her isolation was broken only once, five years before her death, for her words to be recorded. She had granted permission for a young historian to visit her, so that the full and honest truth of her adventures and campaigns would not be lost to time.

From _Reflections on Our Lives in Mossflower_ by Kiyone Odai Rumiko (raccoon) 53rd year of Mayume

The single room hut belonging to Shukko the wolverine was quite plain in appearance. There were no frescoes to add beauty to the plain white of the plastered adobe walls. The only furnishings were a small table built from unfinished red cedar with four attending chairs in the center of the room, and a futon against the wall opposite of the door. Nothing in this place would give the slightest hint that the occupant was once the daimyou who led some five hundred soldiers and civilians into a new life far from home. Least of all the wolverine herself, who saw no need to adorn her body with gold and jewels, preferring to dress in simple gray robes.

Shukko usually ate and slept alone, but on this day, she had a visitor for her evening meal. A young fisher barely in adulthood sat across from Shukko as the wolverine ate her stew. The fisher flipped through the pile of papers in front of her, trying to organize not only her notes but her thoughts as well. The prospect of being the first beast in more than twenty years to be allowed an interview with the reclusive former leader filled the young fisher named Gutei with excitement. When Gutei was invited to take a seat at the table, Shukko firmly informed her that no questions would be answered until the wolverine's bowl was emptied.

When an unintentional "dook" slipped out of the fisher's mouth, Shukko sighed and put down her spoon. "I can't eat while you're fidgeting like that," the wolverine said in a gravelly voice best suited for shouting commands over the din of battle.

Gutei's bottle-brush tail became limp and still with her shame at the wolverine's rebuke, "Please forgive me, Lady Shukko. I-It's just that you're one of the few of the first generation still alive. If you died before sharing your story, part of our history would die with you."

Shukko chuckled at the worries voiced by the fisher, "Don't let the graying pelt fool you, child. I have more than a few years left in me. And please, don't call me Lady Shukko. It's been many years since I gave up the office of daimyou."

The wolverine picked up the bowl in front of her, which was still half-full of stew, and buried her snout into the food. With three deep breaths, Shukko emptied the bowl. Letting the bowl clatter to the floor, Shukko licked her muzzle and whiskers clean of gravy. "Now that the bowl's empty, I am ready to begin.

"Our eternal exile in these lands began more than fifty years ago. There were a hundred and thirty-four of us then, soldiers in the service of the Musteline Republic. Our nation was under attack from both within and without. The five-year old civil war against the fanatics had shattered the country, and the rodent nations saw an opportunity to crush us, their ancient enemies.

"We had been ordered to relieve a unit fighting several tribes of squirrels. The bush-tailed rodents were sending raiding parties into our territory. Three days out from the fort, our convoy had reached the Hyuga trans-shipment center, were we were to board a ferry to Otouwa near the Mitsugawa Confluence. We would never make that ferry run, or see our home cities again. Earlier that day, an unnaturally thick fog settled over Hyuga and the surrounding area. There was a sign outside the ferry terminal informing all who read it that ferry and rail service had been suspended. Angry at the delay and perceived cowardice on the part of the Navy and transportation workers, I stormed into the ferry terminal. I had my orders, and by Itazou, I was going to fulfill them, no matter the weather." As the elderly wolverine delved into long-buried memories, her body crouched in her chair and tears moistened her eyes as the pain of lost friends and a lost home filled her mind.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One 

"_A wise hunter cultivates a wolverine's honor, where the foolish one cultivates her fury. The first has a true friend who will defend her in times of need, the last is left with naught but a weapon that shall turn without warning._" -- Seventh Proverb of Ayako Ueda of Nezushi

Kenjiro looked up from her computer screen as the chiming bell alerted her to the entrance of some-beast into the ferry terminal. A wolverine wearing the forest-green armored vest with blue and yellow-striped kilt of an army officer was marching towards the vixen's desk. As the wolverine came closer, Kenjiro was able to place her as a Major by the four yellow wedges and single gray wedge on her collar's badge of rank. The fang-baring snarl that wrinkled her muzzle captured Kenjiro's full attention. The words of Ayako's Seventh Proverb drifted up from the vixen's memory. Whatever it was that had summoned the Major's fury, Kenjiro would need to work quickly to calm her.

"I am Major Shukko, commander of the Quill Breakers' Fourth Century, and I have come to you for answers. Would you please explain to me the delay in ferry service? My troops and I must be at the Mitsugawa Confluence within two days. I have seen sailor foxes brave the fiercest typhoons! Our navy surely can't be afraid of a little fog," the wolverine demanded of Kenjiro.

Kenjiro hurriedly stepped in front of her desk and bowed to the wolverine at a proper twenty-degree angle with her hands flat against her thighs, "Lady Major! Please forgive my impertinence, but you truly should not have come here."

"Who are you to dictate where soldiers in the Republic's service may and may not go?" Shukko asked with the hint of a growl in her voice.

"My apologies, Ma'am. I am Kenjiro, the portmaster of Hyuga. I do not mean to give you commands, I am simply saddened that you have become trapped here with the rest of us. It is true what you say, the Republic's navy has no fear of fog. We have become trapped by no simple mist, however.

"All attempts to leave the immediate area have failed. Several hours ago, when the fog first settled here, the ferry cast off and traveled down-stream. Not five minutes after it disappeared into the fog, it re-appeared upstream of the dock. Since the fog descended, any traveler seeking to escape this place, whether by foot or vehicle, has been turned back."

The wolverine closed her eyes and took four deep breaths. With the calm of her Center restored, Shukko opened her eyes and looked down at Kenjiro. "I am sorry, Portmaster. I should not have taken out my frustration on you.

"I will contact the base at Mitsugawa and inform them of our status. While we are here, I will ask my chaplain to intercede with Itazou. Her prayers should be able to drive this fog away."

Kenjiro shook her head sadly, "You may try to contact your base, but you will not succeed. Radios and telephones have been unable to reach beyond this prison of mist. Even within the fog's boundaries, we have found radios to be unreliable. We prisoners of the fog are doomed beasts, Major. The evil will keep us here until our food stores run out, and then we will starve."

Shukko's left ear twitched as she listened to Kenjiro's pessimistic evaluation of the situation, "I see. My troops will be making camp here while this fog persists. If the Quill Breakers can be of any assistance to you, do not hesitate to ask." She bowed to the vixen and left the terminal to rejoin her troops.

Shortly after nightfall on the seventh day of fog, Shukko sought out answers from the chief chaplain, an otter named Keiko. She found the priest sitting on a bench by the pier, with her muzzle buried in a manual of prayers and rituals, her black-hemmed crimson robe nearly concealing all but her snout and hands. Shukko did not wait for the priest to acknowledge her before launching into a tirade. "It's been a week, Keiko! For the last seven days we've been trapped here by this fog. Care to tell me why you and your priests haven't been able to clear this out, Captain?"

Keiko closed the book and reverently set it down beside her. The otter looked up at Shukko and spread her arms wide in resignation while remaining seated, "The mist refuses to be moved despite the mightiest spells I could cast. It has even proven resistant to our prayers and invocations. This mist could only have been called forth by Great Itazou herself. The skills of mortals are as nothing beside Her will. I would not even dare to try." The otter clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and bowed to the wolverine, "I am sorry, Major Shukko, but we can only wait until Itazou relents and dispels what She has created.

"Now please leave me to my studies," Keiko requested of Shukko, though the request's scent carried more than a hint of an order. Keiko returned the book to her lap and prayed softly while caressing the crimson disk and ermine silhouette of Itazou emblazoned on the cover. With the ritual completed, she opened the book and resumed reading.

Shukko vented her frustration at the bad news with a hissed expletive and stalked off to find her captains. She wandered through the camp looking for either Asuko or Mayumi, cursing the fog's deadening of radio communication. Several minutes later, she was finally able to pick up Asuko's scent. Shukko followed the scent trail to where she found the long-tailed stoat with her badger lieutenants, huddled around a propane heater. "Captain Asuko, I would like to have a word with you."

Asuko and the lieutenants snapped to attention and bowed in salute to the wolverine. "Good Evening, Major. How may we serve you?" the red-furred stoat ritually greeted Shukko while she and her lieutenants held their bows at a respectful thirty degrees.

Shukko returned their salute with a shallow fifteen-degree bow of her own, signaling her permission for the stoat and badgers to stand at ease. "I want to speak with you, Captain Mayumi, and your lieutenants tonight, regarding drill schedules. I fear that the troops' inactivity over the last few days may have blunted their teeth and claws. I will be waiting for the six of you in the Staff tent. I trust that you won't keep me waiting for too long?"

"No, Major," the three under-officers chorused.

"Very good." Shukko waved off their salutes as she made her way to her tent.

Once inside, she turned on the lantern and ignited her own heater. While holding out her hands towards the welcome warmth, Shukko once again cursed the unnatural weather that held the wolverine and her soldiers captive. "Why? Why has Itazou trapped us here with that damnable fog?" She rubbed her hands together and sighed, "It pains my soul to contemplate this, but She may have done this as a warning. Could it be that the fanatics and rebels were correct to declare Dougenyou's teachings blasphemous? Itazou willing, that is not the case. I do not want to believe that one of the Republic's founding documents could be foul in Itazou's eyes." Shukko hissed with frustration at the dilema, "I'm no priestess or raccoon, why must I be the one to map this burrow? I beg of you, Itazou, guide me to the prey in this matter. Am I right in performing my duty?"

Major Shukko's thoughts and prayers were interrupted the sound of claws scratching at the tent's flap. "You may enter," Shukko called out, expecting the arrival of Asuko and Mayumi. Asuko's right hand pushed the flap open as the stoat and her fisher compatriot walked into the tent.

The captains saluted their superior officer, "How may we serve you, Major?"

"First, you can stand at ease, and then you can tell me why your lieutenants aren't here with you. I ordered that all six of you be in attendance," the wolverine sharply said with a glare directed at the duo.

"Forgive us, Major," Mayumi the fisher said as she and Asuko stood at ease. "The lieutenants are standing right outside. I'll bring them in immediately." Mayumi quickly bowed to Shukko and stuck her head out of the tent. "The Major would like you to come inside now," she told the beasts waiting outside. The badger sisters Yuki and Hana, Asuko's lieutenants, were the first to enter. They were quickly followed by Mayumi's lieutenants Rie, the only raccoon officer in Shukko's command, and the ferret Youko.

Shukko waved her subordinates to the waiting chairs placed around the table, "Ladies, take your seats so we can get this meeting underway."

"We have been trapped here for a week, and during that time our soldiers have done little save eat and sleep. They have become soft and the inactivity is also affecting morale. This sad state of affairs ends now, do you understand me? At first light tomorrow, we will hold a tournament between First and Second Companies. The exercise will stop the slide in their skills and the competition will lift their spirits."

While Shukko and her officers were discussing drill schedules for the troops, something changed in the fog. A light rain fell to the ground as a wind from the southwest started to pick up. While beasts scrambled to protect fires and equipment from the weather, a bright flash lit up the fog. Less than a second later, the deafening rumble of nearby thunder rolled through the camp. As the thunder faded, the light rain shower became a downpour. A thunderstorm had sprung up from nowhere, targeting the ferry terminal and the beasts camped nearby. The ice-cold rain, howling wind, and near-constant thunder drove every beast, save those unfortunates assigned to guard duty, inside to a tent or the terminal building. Nearly twenty minutes after the first thunderclap's reverberations split the air, the terminal building and pier went dark as the storm's fury destroyed the transfer point's generators with a well-placed lightning strike.

Mayumi hurried from the staff tent to her own tent. Though she had only a little more than a hundred meters to travel, her uniform and fur were soaked from the rain when she opened her tent's door flap. Upon entering the tent, she secured the flap with a padlock. When she was satisfied that her privacy would be uninterrupted, Mayumi peeled off her uniform. She hung the armor vest on its rack and draped the shirt and kilt over the back of a chair. She toweled off her sopping wet fur paying close attention to her head, tail, and belly. When her fur was merely damp instead of soaked, Mayumi dropped the towel into a basket next to her footlocker and bent to open the locker. Inside the locker were extra uniforms, a fur grooming kit, and a lacquered cherry-wood box. She removed the grooming kit and box and closed the locker.

She set her burdens down on the table and sat on the stool. Pushing the grooming kit to the left, she drew the box close to her. The box was two hand-spans long by one wide and deep. Scenes of love, play, and the hunt wrapped around the sides while the lid was painted to represent the night sky. Eleven of the zodiac constellations were painted on the lid. The twelfth constellation, Raccoon, had a special place as Mayumi's birth month. Its stars were picked out by diamonds rather than paint. She tapped eight of the Raccoon's stars in a special sequence while reciting a traditional pre-hunt prayer. When the last word of the prayer was spoken and the sequence completed, the painted lines that connected the Raccoon's stars began to glow softly. With the ward deactivated, Mayumi lifted the box's lid and removed the Testament of Itazou with Ayako's Proverbs. She licked and nuzzled the book in devotion before she set it down to the right of the box.

Mayumi reached inside the box with her right hand and lifted the floor panel to reveal a tray that held a suction cup on a stick, two bags of cotton balls, and three sets of glass eyes sized for a fisher. Two hemispherical depressions in the tray showed where a fourth pair of eyes could rest. She picked up the suction cup, moistened it with her tongue, and held it up to her right eye. Mayumi spread her eyelid open while she used the suction cup to pull the eye out from its socket. She wiped the glass eye with a cotton ball and put the cotton that she had just used to wipe her eye into the empty eye socket. After she set the eye into the right-hand depression in the tray, she repeated the process with her left eye. With both eye sockets filled with cotton, she closed her eyelids and lightly massaged them with her fingertips.

She continued the massage for several seconds before she brought the grooming kit close to her. Picking up the kit's mirror in her left hand, she brought it close to her face while she pulled the cotton from her eye sockets. Mayumi's muzzle wrinkled into a snarl when the stench of the dark brown sludge smeared over the cotton balls reached her nose. She looked into the mirror and saw more of the sludge flowing like tears from her eye sockets. "This is the last time I wear my eyes for twelve days straight, no matter what the risk of discovery may be," Mayumi said to herself while she packed more cotton into her gaping eye sockets. While the cotton balls did their job of absorbing her eye sockets' secretions, she took out her brush and brushed the fur of her tail and mane. When she was finished brushing her fur, she started the intimate portion of her grooming. Moistening several cotton balls with alcohol, she cleaned her scent glands and genitals. With her body cleaned and groomed, Mayumi opened the holy book for a night's reading and devotions.

"Tomorrow, I'll have to find an excuse to check up on Corporal Nabiki. If I, an officer, haven't been able to find enough privacy to care for my eye sockets for the last twelve days, she'd be even worse off," Mayumi mused, thinking of the Century's only other Blind trying to lead a normal life.

For nearly seven hours, the storm punished the area. Finally, in the dark hours before dawn, the storm abruptly died.

Sergeant Kikyo, who was one of the soldiers who drew guard duty this night, looked up at the rapidly clearing sky. The raccoon was overjoyed that the fog and the storm which followed were finally gone. "Thank you, Momma. . ." Kikyo's prayer of thanksgiving died in her throat as she looked up at the night sky. The last few clouds from the storm sped off to the east, revealing thousands of stars and a single full moon. "No, that's not right. The Hunter isn't supposed to be full for another week." She spun around in a circle, searching the sky for the second moon, "And where is the Mouse? It's all wrong!" Kikyo cried out in rising panic. "Calm, calm. Remember your training," she said to herself while taking several slow deep breaths.

Pulling her radio from a vest pocket, Kikyo took her hand-held radio out and set it to transmit using Lieutenant Hana's key. "Lieutenant, this is Sergeant Kikyo at the eastern perimeter. Something has happened, and it frightens me, Madam."

Four long seconds later, the badger's voice came over the radio, her voice slightly distorted by the encryption, "Yes Sergeant, what is it?"

"The fog is gone, as well as the storm clouds. There isn't a cloud in the sky, Lieutenant."

"And how exactly is this frightening?" Hana's voice sounded less than happy.

"It's what's in the night sky, and what's not there, that scares me, Madam. The Mouse is missing and the Hunter is full when She shouldn't be. That's not all, Lieutenant. The zodiac constellations aren't right, either. I'm looking at the Mink right now, but it should be below the horizon during the month of Badger. In fact all of the constellations are in the positions they would be in during the month of Mink. We're not where we should be, Madam. Why would Itazou do this to us?" Kikyo said with rising panic in her voice while she stared at the night sky.

"I'll inform Captain Asuko and Keiko of your discovery in the morning. As for you, Sergeant, you would better serve the Republic if you were to concentrate on your duties, rather than star-gazing. Lieutenant Hana, out." Kikyo's radio fell silent as the amber LED indicating a secure connection went out.

Yuki lifted her head from the pillow when her sister's movements and voice woke her from sleep, "It's the middle of the night, Hana. What are you doing awake at this hour?"

"My paranoid basket-case of a sergeant, Kikyo, reported that the fog has finally lifted. Then she started babbling some nonsense about the sky being 'wrong'."

Yuki sat up in the cot that she and Hana shared, "Hana, dear sister, I know that Sergeant Kikyo panics easily, but you do have to admit that she has the uncanny knack of being correct in her fears. How many times has she saved the lives of everyone in her squad thanks to an attack of 'paranoia'? I think the raccoon has a small portion of the seer's gift.

"The sergeant performed her duty when she alerted you of the changed conditions. In the morning, you will perform yours by reporting the night's events to Captain Asuko. For now though, why don't you come back to bed and snuggle? I believe it's my turn to take the male role."


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two 

"_A skilled hunter has no need for weapons beyond those given to her at birth. Even so, the wise hunter knows to turn back the weapons of her prey._" -- Third Proverb of Ayako Ueda Nezushi

Sergeant Kikyo's fears were proven beyond imagination as the skies lightened before sunrise on the morning after the fog broke. It was not just the features in the night sky that were wrong. The entire world surrounding the camp and ferry terminal was twisted into an impossible form.

The raccoon craned her neck to take in the alien landscape as a whole. Where the Takiyama mountains, from which the Ima river flowed, should have reached the sky there was instead an ocean. When she drew in a breath, she knew from the quality of the air's scent that this was not the vast Taiheiyou but rather some other strange sea. The anomalous full moon was even now setting below the horizon formed by the ocean that should not be. There was no forest of fir and spruce trees growing in rich volcanic soil, only scattered clumps of grasses and thorny shrubs struggling to survive in the salt-polluted sand. Looking eastwards towards where the sun would soon be rising, the beach gave way to a series of steep ridges seemingly plucked up from the Scab Lands and deposited by the sea. The ridges extended nearly unbroken far to the north and south. The only visible gap was a canyon, through which flowed the unknown river upon which the ferry now floated. Some distance to the south, a long-extinct volcano weathered into the shape of a fang towered up from the waterfront to stab the sky.

Panic and dismay began to spread through the civilians in the camp as the enormity of what had happened during the night began to sink into their minds. The soldiers were also feeling fear, though to a lesser extent than the civilians. Beasts began to clump together in small groups for comfort as they stared at the strange world surrounding them.

A fox who worked for the University of Shou as a courier and delivery driver looked at the raccoon graduate student accompanying her, "I do not believe that the museum's curators will be getting their new exhibit, Kenichi."

Kenichi stared at the vixen for a long moment, her fear betraying itself with lowered ears and muzzle wrinkled into a half-snarl. The raccoon broke the moment when she climbed out of the truck's cab and prostrated herself on the alien beach's sand. Tears began to flow down her muzzle as she cried out in the anguished wail of a kit separated from her mothers in a strange place, "Oh sweet Momma Weasel, what have we done to deserve your wrath!"

Elsewhere in the camp, a pair of short-tailed stoats who were traveling through the Republic with their first-born kit were trying and failing to understand what had happened during the night. "That terrible fog is gone. We can be thankful to Itazou for that at least, Rumiko," one of the stoats said in reassurance to her wife. However, her limp tail and drooping whiskers proved the falseness of her cheery mood.

Rumiko hissed in anger and poked the other stoat's belly, heavy with new life, to punctuate her words, "I think not! Yes, the fog is no more, but look around you and smell the wind. The entire world has gone insane! Itazou had nothing to do with this. If anything, she has cast us out and abandoned us to our fates!"

Momoki slapped her wife's hand down, "Watch out for your daughter-to-be there, Rumiko. One would think that you were the pregnant one judging by your foul attitude. Except that you never acted like this when you were carrying Sakura. What is with you lately? And don't say that you're going into heat, because we both know that's impossible."

Rumiko sighed and lowered her gaze, "I'm sorry, my love. I fear that the aggressiveness stemming from my responsibility for you and the kit you're carrying has made me quicker to anger than I should be. Though I still hold the sentiment behind my harsh words. Itazou has abandoned us."

The young stoat kit Sakura squeaked and sniffled as she tugged on Rumiko's kilt, "Momma Rumiko, I'm scared. I wanna go home!"

"I know, dear kit of mine, we all do. Momma Momoki and I will do everything we can to see us back home safely. Until then, dearest Sakura, we must have faith that our love for each other will see us through." Rumiko picked up her daughter and hugged her tightly. Momoki joined in the embrace, though she was mindful of little Sakura's sister growing inside her. The small family cuddled together, churring softly as they re-affirmed their love.

Scenes much like these were repeated many times throughout the camp and terminal.

Major Shukko walked out of her tent and surveyed the chaos within the camp. She inhaled deeply and roared forth the command "Silence!" in her best parade-ground voice. A wolverine's voice is on a par with her teeth and claws as a force to be respected. While the command's last syllable was still leaving Shukko's muzzle, the soldiers under the major's command snapped to attention and bowed to her as one. For their part, the civilians and sailors were stunned into obedience by the sheer power of Shukko's voice. More than a few kits ran to their mothers' sides crying in fear of the wolverine and her scary loud voice.

"Captain Asuko, Keiko, in my tent, now." Shukko's ice-calm delivery of the summons was, in its own way, just as frightening as her bellow. When Shukko would rage and bellow, her enemies knew to flee from her fury. If Shukko chose to speak softly when angered, it was a sure sign that she wished to hold the fury within her Center. She would only release the storm when its force would truly devastate the object of her enmity. Many soldiers, when sent to Shukko for discipline, would prostrate themselves and blubber for mercy if Shukko questioned them calmly.

So it was with no small amount of trepidation that Asuko and the priestess entered the tent. The Major was sitting at her desk, idly sketching on some paper. "Sit down, the both of you, " Shukko calmly ordered without looking up from her sketchwork. The stoat and otter sat in the two seats that Shukko had readied for them, and waited for Shukko's next move. For five minutes they waited in silence until Shukko completed her sketch.

Shukko set down her brush and turned the sketch over to hide it. "Captain Asuko, you will order Sgt Kikyo's squad to go on reconnaissance duty. They are to avoid combat, but if an opportunity to capture a rodent suitable for an oracle presents itself, they are to secure it and return with all haste.

"You have your orders, Captain," she said in dismissal.

Asuko stood and bowed, "It will be done as you have ordered, Lady Major."

Once Asuko had left the tent, Shukko turned her attention to Keiko, "I had a strange dream last night, Priestess. I saw myself, wearing the traditional armor of a daimyou, standing at the gate of a fortress. The stones of the curtain wall were red like blood. Barring my entry was a male mouse wearing priestly robes of green. Over the robes, he was wearing a steel breastplate. In his left hand, he was holding a wooden shield. In his right, he was holding a sword that was nearly as long as he was tall. He spoke to me, saying 'You will not prevail here. My Champion shall destroy you, and scatter your horde to the winds.' His words to me were spoken forcefully and with hatred. Beneath his brave words, I could scent a trace of fear.

"Suddenly, a short-tailed stoat wearing a red beret on her head stood at my left-hand side. She whispered in my ear that she knew of a weakness in the fortress and would guide me to it. She led me to a burrow entrence near the wall. A creature like none I had ever seen before poked its head out from the burrow and gabbled to my guide in a strange dialect. As the creature spoke, my stoat guide would translate his words for me, 'He says that your mother appeared to him and promised wonders of architecture and engineering to his people in return for their assistance. His people shall faithfully carry out their side of the bargain.' That was when the dream ended. When I woke this morning, I was inspired to draw this," Shukko turned over the sheet of paper she had sketched on and pushed it towards the otter.

Keiko examined the drawing. It was of a heavy sword. Along the blade, the words "I am that is" were written in the script of the rodent's language. "'I Am That Is' What kind of name for a sword is that?"

"I do not know that answer. However, I do know that this weapon is a symbol of hope and defiance for our enemies here. I need you to meditate on my dream, and this sketch. I am hopeful that Itazou will provide Sgt Kikyo with a suitable sacrifice for the oracle I would like you to perform."


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three 

"_Pity not the Raccoon. While she is not strong like the Wolverine, or a far runner like the Fox, she has the keenest eyes and spirit of all Itazou's Children. The prey's deepest cunning is but a shallow stream before her gaze._" -- Eighth Proverb of Ayako Ueda Nezushi

Broggen centered himself at the entrance to the Dark Forest and glumly stared at the sword-wielding mouse who barred his way. For nearly six hundred seasons, he had taken part in this daily ritual and the events had never changed.

"I am Broggen the stoat. In life, I served with honor in Lord Urthblood's army. Like any beast, I have done shameful things but on the whole I have led a decent life. I humbly request entrance into Dark Forest, for I have earned my rest," Broggen said to Dark Forest's gate-keeper.

"Nay, vermin. None who do harm in Martin's house may pass into Dark Forest. Hellgates is the only proper end for your ilk." Matthais, whose duty in death was to be Dark Forest's guardian and gate-keeper, waved his sword in front of him from right to left. The healthy oak and pine trees of Dark Forest faded away to make room for the blasted salt basin of Hellgates. The mouse stepped aside to allow Broggen passage into the realm of the Damned.

Broggen beheld the endless plain of salt baking under a scorching sun. Small gangs of beasts were fighting each other with claw and fang for possession of the tiny pools of water scattered through the wasteland. He could smell the salt and blood on the hot wind flowing out from Hellgates. "No! I have done nothing to deserve that. I will not enter that place and you can't make me!"

"Not even to succor the spirit of your best friend?" Matthais asked maliciously.

Matthais' question shocked Broggen so deeply that he forgot cultured speech for the dialect of his youth, "What d' ye mean, Mouse?"

"Have a look for yourself, Vermin," Matthais said, waving his left arm towards the scene beyond the gate.

In the midst of the vermin viciously fighting each other, a thin mouse huddled by himself in misery. Aside from the tattered remnants of a burgundy beret perched between his ears, the mouse was naked as the day he was born. His fur looked like it had not been groomed in a badger's lifetime and was caked with blood and salt.

If he were still alive, Broggen's heart would have seized up at the sight of his best friend suffering in that place, "Jansey! I'm comin' for ya, Matey!" Broggen rushed towards Hellgates, his earlier refusals of Matthais' invitations forgotten. If Broggen did not deserve Hellgates, then Jans deserved damnation far less than he.

Just as his leading footpaw was about to cross the threshold into Hellgates, a paw tightly gripped his right shoulder and pulled him back. "NO! You must not fall for the nezumi's tricks, my kit," the paw's owner commanded Broggen with a voice like thunder. Broggen looked behind him and saw the most beautiful stoatmaid that he had ever seen. Something about her vaguely masculine appearance and scent reminded him of Trembula but this maid's beauty and enticing scent eclipsed all who came before her.

The thought of Trembula reminded Broggen of his friend suffering in Hellgates, "But Lass, Jansey's me best mate. I don' wanna lose 'im again. I have ta 'elp 'im 'ere, like 'e 'elped me in th' bog!"

"I am sorry, Broggen. That place will not allow you to ease the suffering of your friend. Misery can never be lessened there, only increased." She stroked his fur with her left paw in the same way that his own mother did when he was a dibbun. "Come with me, and I will show you how your friend Jans can be rescued," She released Broggen's shoulder and held out her paw to him.

As Broggen took hold of her paw in his, Matthais stepped forward and held the point of his sword at the stoatmaid's throat, "Halt! You have no right to interfere in this matter."

"I have every right to 'interfere' in this matter, mouse. I am Itazou, and Broggen here is one of my children. Now, remove your sword from my throat or I shall surely feed it to you." Itazou's voice was like ice in Matthais' veins. The Champion of Redwall and Gate-Keeper of Dark Forest squeaked in sudden terror and dropped his sword, which clattered on the path's stones. He could only stare after the stoats as they walked into the aether and disappeared.

* * *

Itazou led Broggen through the aether's mist for some distance until they broke through the mist into a moonlit forest clearing. Broggen looked around the clearing, from the small vegetable garden to the cozy little cottage, to the weathered tree stump with a hatchet embedded in it. Something about this place tickled his memory, like he had been here before. As he stared at the moonlight gleaming off the hatchet, the answer came to him and his eyes widened in shock. Itazou hugged him at that moment and whispered to him kindly, "Yes, Broggen. This is the place where you lived out your last days before a shrew stole your life away."

"Why have you brought me 'ere, Marm?" Broggen asked Itazou, whose beauty now looked to his eyes like a matronly stoat in the middle of her seasons.

"We are here to return to you that which was stolen from you a century and a half ago." When her words were spoken, a patch of ground near the stump began to bulge upwards. The bony paw of a long-dead beast thrust up from the earth and gripped the grass. That skeletal limb was soon followed by the second paw and a stoat's skull. At that moment, Broggen wanted nothing more than to run from the reminder of his own death, but Itazou's embrace held him still.

"Lemme go! 'tis nothin' I want t' be rem'mbering."

"Do not be afraid, my kit. This vision of death will not remain long." While embracing Broggen's spirit with her right paw, Itazou drew forth his skeleton from the grave with her left. His mortal remains were soon completely freed from the grave. Broggen stood transfixed as Itazou released him and hugged his re-animated skeleton. She gently blew into the skull's nasal opening and licked between its eye sockets. What followed next only compounded the day's strangeness. Mist boiled out from the bones and became flesh, skin and fur. In moments, Broggen was staring at his own face. The last thing Broggen saw before darkness claimed him was Itazou pressing her muzzle against his other self's muzzle.

A clap of thunder reverberated in his ear. The thunder was a voice, and the voice commanded him to "Awaken!" Broggen gasped in pain when his lungs filled with air and his heart beat in his chest for the first time in nearly six hundred seasons. Broggen opened his eyes to see blue skies and a few wispy clouds. Night had become day while he slept, and Itazou was kissing him.

Broggen pushed her away and scrambled to his footpaws. As a warrior, Broggen learned to pay close attention to how his body moved and felt. When he stepped back from the other stoat, his warrior's intuition told him that something was very wrong. Looking down, he could only stare at what he saw. "What've you done to me? I'm all mixed up!"

"When I brought you back to life, I made you one of my children. My children are not male or female, but both in one perfect whole."

"A perfect 'ole? I gots a male's spear on a maid's body. Not ver' perf'ct where I'm standin'!"

"Calm down, Broggen. You will become comfortable in your new body as time passes," Itazou examined Broggen thoughtfully, "You're actually pretty easy on the eyes and nose. You will steal more than a few hearts in the years to come."

Itazou chuckled with good humor at Broggen's discomforted expression, "Enough talk of your body. I have given life to you for a reason. I have brought several hundred of my children here to this world. It is here that they must build new homes and raise their children, for they can never go back. I would not be so cruel as to leave them empty-pawed, and that is where you come in. My children need reminders of their past and a guide to this world. Will you help them, Broggen?"

"I dun know, Marm. I'm grateful t' be alive 'gain n' all, but ye're askin' an awful lot o' me. Firs' ye stick me in this crazy mixed up body, n' now ye wan' me to play guide? I need somethin' more than jus' me life to accept yer task."

Itazou grinned at Broggen then, "Such a brave little hunter you are. Very well, in return for your service, I shall guarantee you a far better home after death than what the mouse was willing to give. I will also re-unite you with your friend Jans, both in life here, and in death."

Broggen's eyes lit up upon hearing Itazou's offer to re-unite him with Jans, "No lyin' yer really gonna take Jansey out o' that 'orrible place, n' let me see 'im 'gain?"

"I give you my solemn vow. If you take up this task, I shall rescue Jans the mouse from damnation, and re-unite the two of you here, in Mossflower. From that time forward, you shall be together in life and in death, forever." Itazou clasped her paws together and bowed to Broggen.

"Yer gots yerself a deal, Marm. I'd do anythin' to rescue Jansey." Broggen spit into the palm of his right paw and held it out to Itazou.

The stoat matron took his paw in hers, "Then it is done."

When they clasped paws to seal the bargain, Broggen felt a tingling warmth spread through his body. The sensation reminded him of Jans' skills at massaging footpaws. "'ang tight, Jansey. Ye'll be free soon 'nough." Broggen dropped his paw from Itazou's, "Where do I go from 'ere?"

"First, you must journey to Redwall Abbey. Long ago, I deposited a library there. Your task is to retrieve the books and travel down the river Moss. You will meet my children on a large iron ship. When you encounter their ship, you are to surrender the books to them and offer your services as guide. If the beasts of Redwall should deny your request, you are to make haste to my children's ship. You will then inform them of Redwall and of their duty to possess the books I have left for them." As Itazou passed on her instructions, she stared closely into Broggen's eyes.

"Before I send you on your task, I have three gifts for you. These will aid you in your task." Itazou held out her paws to Broggen, and draped over them were a blouse and a skirt, both the color of blood. "Take these vestments, so that ignorant beasts are not afeared by your beauty."

Broggen took the clothes from Itazou and wore them. "Thank you, Marm. Never thought I'd see th' day when I'd dress up like a stoatmaid."

Itazou placed on Broggen's head a red beret, and a manacle bracelet, made of pure gold, on his right wrist, "Wear this cap and this bracelet forevermore as symbols of our covenant."

"I don' mean t'be disparagin' yer color sense, Marm, but me beret is more the color of elderberry wine than blood," Broggen said while he adjusted the beret's fit until it rested at the proper jaunty angle.

"It is my holy color, so you will just have to accept it. Speaking of acceptance, that brings me to the third, and most vital, gift I have for you." Itazou blew into Broggen's ear. "I bring you the twin gifts of knowledge and acceptance."

Broggen shuddered as her mind was filled to bursting with the language and culture of Itazou's Children. New ways to grapple with the enemy showed themselves to her. She knew that a sword or javelin-wielding beast would be no threat to her now, even if she had no weapon herself save her own paws.

"I leave you to your task now, Broggen. Farewell." Itazou hugged her one last time before she faded away. When Itazou's presence left her, Broggen witnessed a drastic change come over the forest clearing. The cottage, which had seemed so cozy and inviting, was a long-abandoned ruin. The roof had partially collapsed and the door's frame had warped out of shape, wedging the door ajar. The carefully tended vegetable garden had become completely over-run with weeds. Her former grave was undisturbed, with no sign that her bones had clawed their way free. Finally, the stump that she was using to split wood on the day he was killed had rotted away and the hatchet was nowhere to be seen.

Broggen hurriedly left the clearing and walked northeastwards towards Redwall. "Well Broggs, looks like you'll be headin' back to Redwall after all." The memories of what had happened during that Nameday feast brought a sigh to her muzzle and a droop to her tail, "Poor Aurelia, I never did mean t' hurt you so. I hope you look kindly on ol' Broggen as I travel.

"I can't really be callin' meself 'Broggen' anymores. That's a malebeast's name, n' I be more maid than malebeast now." Broggen thought long and hard on the dilemma of her name as she walked through the forest. "Trembula? Yes, that'll do. She was a nice maid, even if her pater did make Jansey n' me wait tables. The times we've had together made it all worthwhile in the end. Trembula it is, then. My name is Trembula." The matter of her name being settled, Trembula quickened her pace and started whistling one of her favorite Northlands drinking songs.


	5. Chapter Four or Interlude One

Chapter Four

"_A wise hunter is wary when pursuing her prey into the burrow. When trapped, the prey will summon forth dark cunning to escape the hunter's fangs. Be alert, and do not blindly trust scents in the air._" -- Second Proverb of Ayako Ueda Nezushi

Johnathan Greylop, Private in the Long Patrol, opened the double doors of Salamandastron's dining hall and knew immediately that something was terribly wrong. The air reeked of vermin's musk and, more worringly, of badger's blood. Raising his lantern high, Johnathan walked into the large room with nostrils and ears twitching. Even though the scent clogged his snout, he could not see any vermin or foxes in the room. All that he could see were tables, benches, and a figure slumped against the wall near the Badger Lord's Seat. Johnathan held the lantern in his left hand to free his right to draw his sword as he cautiously walked towards the High Table, and the beast behind it. When the light fell fully upon the beast, the young hare stifled a scream. Baldur, Badger Lord of Salamandastron, lay dead in a pool of his own blood with his throat torn open.

Written on the wall behind Baldur, in the badger's blood and by his own paw, was a message in both the secret Badgerscript, and the common tongue. As he read Lord Baldur's last words Johnathan was sorely frightened. Even though he was the only living beast in that room, he could feel hot breath against the back of his neck and scent the stench of rotting flesh in the breeze. Though his calves twitched with the need to run, he could do nought but read the bloody script on the wall. _A score and a score of seasons have passed. Pacts made shall be fulfilled. The Bloody One's legacy is complete. Beware, House of Sand, of friends turned foe, beware. The Door has been opened._

Alone though he was, he could hear the sultry voice of a verminmaid whisper in his ear, "Prepare, little _usagi_, prepare for unforeseen consequences."

Discipline and training forgotten, Johnathan dropped both lantern and sword and fled the grisly scene in a panic. As he ran he could still hear the unseen verminmaid, laughing.


End file.
